Playing with the Big Boys
by Mandy Kay Miller
Summary: Andy made it to the X Games! He meets lots of people, some nice friends, some really bad enemies... and a cute girl, who happens to be Dean Talon's cousin.
1. Realm of the gods

A/N: I wanted to write a Motocrossed fanfic for awhile, but never thought of a plot idea. Then I saw Ultimate X at the Imax (it's very very very good, and highly recommended!) and I managed to get a little more than entertainment out of it. A plot idea! This takes place 1 ½ years after the movie. Have fun! And btw, Andrew = Andy, Andrea = Andie.

Andy

1:35 PM

I took in a deep breath as I stared at the place in front of me. Had I really made it? Or was this some kind of dream or hallucination?

I must have looked like an idiot staring at that big red X for what seemed like hours, but that was OK. Because I, Andy Carson, was an official X-Games competitor.

I was only 17. Still in high school. Suddenly, I knew that I wouldn't make it. I'd slip, I'd fall. I'd break a million bones at once. Freestyle moto, in my mind, was one of the most dangerous things a person could do.

Why didn't I stick to racing? It was so much easier. And mom would die if I told her that most of the guys got 100 feet plus on the jumps. When she asked me how high I'd be I tried to dodge the question and replied, "Not that high."

"Hey."

I turned and saw another guy. He was a little taller than me, but I should have expected that. Most of these guys were probably older than me.

"Hey."

He smiled. "You're new, huh?"

"How'd you know?"

He chuckled. "You look like I did last year. The amazement at seeing this place, like it's the realm of the gods or something."

"Isn't it?"

He laughed. "I guess you have a point. I'm Nick Jayland. Call me Jay."

He stuck his hand out and I shook it. "Andy Carson."

"Are you nervous?"

I smiled. "Man, I can't count all the times I peed my pants and we haven't even started competing yet."

He laughed again. "Well, good luck. And by the way, Pull-Ups help."

~*~ 4:37 PM

"Talon speeds past the finish line for third!"

My head jerked back to the motocross racing track. I'd just been walking around and heard the announcer say that. Did he say Talon? As in Dean Talon?

I started into the stadium. I flashed my card to the security guards to show that I was a competitor, then went to the finish line.

There, dressed in blue with the number 47 on his back, was a racer with TALON above his number. But that wasn't Deans number, was it?

"And Dean Talon finishes in eighth."

Eighth?! Then who was this other guy?

_Probably a brother or something,_ I guessed. I was impressed that Dean had made it to the X-Games himself… and didn't finish last, like I was going to do.

_I could be there,_ I thought as the racers started walking their bikes away. _I could have just finished a race._ I caught myself wondering why I'd chosen freestyle over racing.

I hadn't seen Dean in a long time. He'd practiced with me a couple times after he signed with Carson Racing, but then he moved to Massachusetts before he even got a chance to actually _race_ for us.

Soon after that, I'd gotten interested in freestyle, and I found myself practicing it more and more. I'd actually made pretty good progress.

30 minutes later I was leaning against an empty hallway wall and saw Dean with a girl walking up to me.

"Carson?" he demanded. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Nice race."

He laughed. "I don't think so. That's the first time I've gotten lower than 4th in 5 years. But thanks anyway. Why didn't I see you out there?"

I smiled. "I'm not such a racer anymore. I got into freestyle."

"Man, that stuff is so cool to watch. I'll be there to watch you."

"Thanks."

The girl cleared her throat and looked at Dean expectantly. She was incredibly cute. She was Chinese, with long shiny hair.

"This is my cousin," Dean said. "Kori."

"Your _cousin?"_ I demanded. "You're…"

"Yeah, I know. My aunt adopted her."

"And you're the Talon who finished 3rd?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I hear you have quite a racing history yourself. And your sister."

"Is she here?" Dean asked.

I nodded. "Of course. Do you really think that Andie would let me come here alone? She'd hide in my helmet if she had to!"

Dean smiled. "Does she still, uh…"  
"Like you? Yeah, I think so. You should have seen her moping around when you left. Next time you should take her with you. _Please."_

"If only I could. I missed her so much. We'd been going out for a total of about 5 days until I left. Not much of a relationship."

"Do you wanna come to the hotel and see her? Kori can come too, if she wants."

"No thanks," Kori said. "But it was nice meeting you, um-"

"Andy. Carson."

"Right." She left.

"Kori usually does her own thing," Dean explained to me. "I don't know where she always goes off to, but it kind of scares me sometimes."

I smiled. "C'mon."


	2. MiniReunion

ANDIE

That day, 5:00 pm

I groaned and turned on the TV. "I don't want to go anywhere," I wined to my parents. "What's wrong with staying in the hotel?"

"Nothing's wrong with it if you're sure you're not hungry," mom replied.

"I think I'll starve," I muttered.

"You aren't still bitter at Andy, are you?" she asked.

My parents were on the verge of making me to totally insane. Bitter at Andy? I had never even _been_ bitter at him in the first place. A little jealous, though. Maybe. Jealous that he'd made it to the X-Games and I hadn't. But bitter? Not at all. Or, maybe a little.

"Mom, I'm not bitter," I said. "I'm just not hungry, either. Is that a crime?"

She looked to my little brother. "Jason, are you going to stay with Andie?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You won't get bored?"

"We can always go in the pool," I said. I had no intention of going out of this hotel room anytime soon, but if telling them that would get them out the door, I'd gladly say it.

"All right. Have fun." They left. Finally.

There was a bit of silence filled in by the TV, when Jason said, "You're mad at Andy, aren't you?"

"I am not!" I said. "I'm just as good as he is."

"You're mad. Admit it."

I shook my head. "Maybe… a little. But honestly, does everyone think I'm not able to be happy for him? Because I am. Really."

"Uh-huh."

_Knock, knock, knock!_

I got off the bed, went to the door, and opened it. I saw Andy standing there, but then I noticed the guy next to him. He looked a lot like…

"Dean?!"

"Andie!"

I threw my arms around him and hugged him. He hugged back. I never thought I'd see him again, but here he was! I couldn't believe it!

"I've missed you," I said. "I didn't think we'd ever meet again after the move."

"Neither did i. You look so different." He playfully flicked at my shoulder-length blond hair. "It's growing back."

"I miss my long hair," I said. "I've been so impatient waiting for it to come back."

"C'mon in," Andy said, stepping in the room. Dean followed him. "I don't know if you ever met Jason…"

"I don't think so," Dean replied.

Jason looked up from the TV. "Hi," he said.

"Hi."

Jason turned his attention back to the TV.

"So, Andie," Dean said, turning to me. "Do you still ride?"

"Um, yeah," I said. "Mom talked my dad into letting me race, but I don't do it a lot." That wasn't the truth. Not the whole one, anyway. Mom _had_ talked dad into letting me race, but I'd actually been practicing a lot for the X-Games. But if I told Dean that I'd been practicing, he'd know I wanted to compete. And failed.

"That's cool."

"So," Andy said. "Do you wanna go in the pool or go out for pizza or something?"

"Actually, I think I have to get back. Baby-sit Kor. But it was cool seeing you guys again. I'll see you around."

"Bye."

"Bye, Dean," I said. Once the door was shut and Dean was gone, my smile was gone, replaced by a glare to my oldest brother. "Why did you bring him here?" I demanded. "So he would know I'm not competing? So he would know you're better than me?"

"No!" Andy said. "I… I didn't think that at all."

"Then what _were_ you thinking? What exactly was going through your mind when you invited him over here? Because I know he didn't invite _himself_ over."

"He was asking about you," Andy said, his voice no longer defensive, but low and timid, almost. "I knew he wanted to see you."

I took a deep breath. Dean was asking about me? Me! How exciting! At least I knew he still liked me. "If you're lying I'll kill you. What'd he say?"

"I'm not gonna play Yenta. Ask him yourself."

"Fine, keep it a secret," I muttered as I sat down on the bed.

"Andie?"

"What?"

Andy's eyes were deadly serious. It almost scared me. I never saw him this solemn.

"Are you mad at me? You seem testy lately."

"No! I'm not mad, bitter, jealous, irritated, upset, or cynical! Will everyone just leave me alone?"

Andy raised an eyebrow. "Jealous? Is that it?"

"NO!"

"Then what? Anger management problems?"

"UGH!" I started walking towards the door, frustrated.

"Where are you going?"

"Oncoming traffic," I muttered in response. I didn't know if he heard me or not. I didn't care.


	3. First Run

ANDY

Day 1, 10:40 am

"Carson, right?"

I turned and saw Jay standing there. "Yeah."

"This is Jack Austin and Drew McEllen. Austin's new, too."

"You nervous?" I asked Austin.

"Nah. I'll tear the place up."

I wished I had his confidence. In 10 minutes I would go up there. In 10 minutes and 50 seconds I would get my score for the first round.

Dean and Kori were sitting kind of in the middle, and my family was in the 3rd row. I could see them clearly, all gawking at the guy that was up now.

I turned my attention to him. I didn't recognize most of the tricks he was doing. Maybe he made a few up.

"BJ Riggs," McEllen said, also watching the rider. "Man, if you rookies know what's good for you, you won't mess with that guy."

"Dude," Jay said. "Just because he pasted _you_ doesn't mean-"

"What did he do?" Austin asked.

"Nothing interesting," Jay replied. "He just threw a few punches is all."

"Jay, the guy cracked my rib."

I raised my eyebrow. "Must have on heck of a punch."

"Yeah, he does," McEllen said. Jay rolled his eyes.

"Please. I've broken 24 bones."

"I know a guy that broke over 50," McEllen replied. "That's not the point. That's from _falling._ This is from a _punch._"

I got a little nervous and started having second thoughts about jumping 100 feet up. I noticed that Austin looked a little uncomfortable, too.

Jay laughed. "It's OK, guys. Don't worry about falling. Just hang on to the bike and don't land on your crotch. You'll be fine."

"Have you done that?" Austin demanded.

Jay laughed. "No way. If I had, I wouldn't be here. I'd be too embarrassed. But it's always been a paranoia of mine."

"Next up," the announcer said. "Nick Jayland."

McEllen patted him on the back. "Break a leg."

Jay slipped on his helmet, hopped on his bike, and rode off. But not without replying to McEllen, "I'll start with yours."

McEllen laughed as we watched Jay start off. How could these guys be so calm? McEllen and Jay joked around and Austin didn't seem nervous at all. Well, until we started talking about breaking bones.

"I need something," I said. "I mean, I need water… or something."

"Dude, you're up soon," Austin said.

"I know." I looked down at my sweating hands. I was so tense and nervous I couldn't stand it!

I rolled up my sleeves. I was hot. The stadium was packed with people creating body heat. People that were watching Jay. People that would soon be watching me.

"Carson!"

"Wha… huh? What?" I snapped back to attention.

Austin laughed. "You know what this is?" he asked McEllen. "This is stage fright at it's peak."

"I'm not scared," I said.

"Just alert, right? Really really awake?"

I smiled. I don't know if he was making fun of me or not, but I pretended like he wasn't. "Yeah."

He laughed again. "You have 5 seconds. And counting."

I put my helmet on and rolled down my sleeves for looks. I hopped on my bike and waited for the announcer to say my name.

"You'll rip," McEllen assured me. "Really."

I breathed deeply and heard him call my name.

_Get out there and rip it,_ I told myself.

I rode out and heard everyone cheer. Would they be cheering in 45 seconds… or booing?

I went over the first jump. The second. Again, again. Each time doing a new trick.

The crowd was entertained. Definitely. They cheered loudly as I hopped off my bike. I was smiling like an idiot. I didn't even care about my score anymore. I didn't make any mistakes. And I'd had fun. And most importantly: didn't humiliate myself.

I went back to where the other guys were, took my helmet off, and laughed. "What a rush!" I said. That was the most fun I'd ever had. Now I remembered why I'd chosen freestyle over racing. Racing was exciting, but freestyle was that same excitement times 7.

"Carson? Check out your score," Jay said.

I turned. I'd gotten a 92.6.

"Ha-hah!" I cheered. "Is that good? It feels good!"

Jay laughed. "It's good, man."

McEllen laughed. I knew he was laughing _at_ me and not with me, but I didn't mind. I did good, and that was all that mattered during that golden moment. "How d'ya feel?" he asked me.

"Totally stoked!"

"Welcome to our world. Wipe your shoes before entering."

I smiled, but a hiss from Austin turned my attention. "Guys!" he said. "Pastrana's up!"

My head snapped back to looking at the rider. On the bike was Travis Pastrana, who'd never in his entire life gotten anything less than 1st place in a freestyle competition. He was amazing. Hypnotizing. I couldn't tear my eyes away. It seemed like a crime to blink, even. Because there he was… in person, in front of me.

"Man, I wish he'd leave," McEllen muttered.

"What?" Jay demanded. "Why?"

"Because as long as he's here, the silver and bronze are the only medals up for grabs."

"But how often do you get to see him live?" Austin asked. "This is sweet."

"Sure. If that's what you want to call it."

McEllen's dullness seemed to rub off onto us. I was actually a little bit mad at him, almost. I wanted so bad to be excited to see Pastrana live, but now…

"You make me sick," Jay said. "Whatsa matter with you, Mic? 2 years ago you would've paid an arm and a leg to be in the same state as that guy."

"2 years ago I didn't know a can-can from a whole shot," McEllen replied. "Pastrana ain't nothing but another show-off in it for the girls."


	4. Meet Miya

A/N: I'm very sorry for lack of updates. I'll do better! =) Oh, and I don't do poetry, so please be kind with the free verse poems. (but I hear anyone can write free verse).

ANDY

Day 1, 7:45 pm

I followed Kori to the coffee house near our hotel. I couldn't resist. I was so curious about where she went all the time and what she did. It crossed my mind that maybe she was on drugs. Maybe they helped her be more alert on her bike. She fit the type that would use them: loner, quiet, yet tough. I was ready for almost anything except the truth.

She entered and I went in after her. Inside it was dim lit only by the light that was on the small stage-like platform on the far side of the building. There was a person sitting on a stool. The funny thing was, she was reciting a detailed, emotional poem.

I kept my eye on Kori thinking, _OK, where's the drug dealer?_ but she didn't meet anyone. In fact, she sat down on the couch and listened attentively.

I couldn't make sense of it. A hard-core motocross racer listening to poetry. And actually _liking_ it. It didn't work. Didn't fit. Yet, here she was.

The girl ended her poem and the people clapped and cheered, but I was mostly only happy that it was over. To my further amazement, Kori then stood and went on stage. She sat down and took the mic.

"As most of you know," she began. "I'm practically obsessed with motorcycles." A few people cheered and she smiled. "I took 3rd today in the X Games!" This time the cheers were louder, but not necessarily fuller. I'm guessing that most of these people didn't know what the X Games was. She gave a short, small laugh. "Anyway, yesterday I wrote something for Miya." She cleared her throat and began dramatically.

"The great cry of my friend pierces my ears,

So much we've been through.

The pain, bitter tears.

I can't bear to see you acting this way…

It's tearing, scraping at my open, bleeding skin.

The horrible roar grows louder.

It thunders my heart.

Distress, agony… eating me alive.

It all started with only one cry.

Now, as it reaches it's pinnacle of fright-" She paused to build suspense.

"Now becomes a _silenced_ cry."

Her poem earned her cheers of delight, and my own confusion. How was that related to motocross? Why did she bother mention the X Games at all?

Kori smiled and hopped down from the stage. She went over to the counter to order something. I went up there, too.

"Nice job," I said as I sat down next to her. She turned.

"Andy, right?" She didn't sound too pleased to see me.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here? This is the last place I'd expect to find a free rider." She said "free rider" like we had some kind of disease.

"I could say the same about a racer," I returned. "And in answer to your question, I just kind of stumbled in. What about you?"

"Are you trying to trick me or what?"

"Of course I'm not trying to trick you," I replied. "Why would I?"

"You're surprised to see me here, you might as well admit it."

I smiled. "OK, I am. But what does that have to do with tricking you?"

"You want me to admit I'm not some big, tough girl that plays with the big boys. You want me to admit that I have a soft spot."

"I never said that. Kori, you rip."

"I'm not buying your compliment. For your information, I'd choose to be at this place over a track any day. All that excitement and anticipation… this place helps me unwind. Chill out."

"Good for you. Now… who's Miya?"

Kori laughed. I was glad that she did… it showed she wasn't mad at me anymore. Judging by the tones and things she said before then, I thought she hated me, but now this laugh helped relax me a little. "I'll give you a dollar if you can figure it out."

"No thanks, I'm just a stupid moron. I'd rather you tell me."

"Miya's my bike."

I coughed, more than shocked. "Really? You're kidding."

"No, really. If you tell anyone, you'll never be able to ride again, got it? We're talking _permanent _damage."

"OK! OK, I won't." She sipped her drink. I felt like I had to somehow make up for nearly laughing at her. "It's cool, though. I mean, tons of people name stuff. Like, Lucielle that one guy's guitar, and… um,"

"Andy?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

I laughed. "OK. So… the cry. In your poem. What was it?"

Kori stared at me. She looked prettier in the dim light. More mysterious. "You _are_ a dumb moron! It isn't clear already? The cry was the engine. It stopped working because it burned out."

I laughed again. "All that sorrow over a bike?"

"Hey! She isn't _just_ a bike, she's _my_ bike!"

"She? What if it's a he?"

"You know, for a dumb moron you've got a pretty smart mouth."

"Hah! You've just proved my theory."

"What theory?"

"That girls _always_ have to have the last laugh."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is!"

Kori stared at me for a minute, straight in my eyes. It kind of scared me, like maybe she was hoping for a kiss or something. So finally I decided to break the trance.

I looked down. "What?"

"You're nothing like I expected you to be."

"Oh?" I looked back up. "How'd you expect me to be?"

"Like the rest of those dumb riders. All of them, not just the free riders."

"And how are they? Or, we?"

"Stuck-up show-offs. Most of them are crazy on top of it. Totally nuts."

"That's not true. I know tons of sane riders."

Kori shook her head. Her voice was quiet when she spoke next, and almost sad somehow. "They're all the same." She looked back in my eyes, and I could of sworn I saw tears. "It was nice talking with you." She got up and left. I almost followed her, but she went into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she still hadn't come out, so I left.


	5. Insensitive Jerk

A/N: X Games are now over… boo hoo! I KNEW Tommy Clowers was gonna win Step Up! I was rooting for him the whole time. And Metz… backflip to backflip! VERY impressive!!!! (even though I don't like Metzger that much… or the Metal Mulisha, for that matter.) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed X Games VIII as much as I did!

DEAN

Day 2, 9:28 AM

"I've always hated that," Kori said, her eyes on the TV.

"What?" I asked, continuing to look at my car magazine. We were sitting in the hotel room having some downtime for once. She was laying on one of the beds on her stomach, her head at the foot of the bed, and I was laying the opposite way on the other bed.

"You're not even listening," she stated.

I closed it and looked at her. "What do you hate?"

Kori seemed to be in a different world as she spoke next. Her tone was even and gentle, her eyes staring ahead at nothing in particular. "When you're meters away from the finish line, an inch ahead of the other guy, when you suddenly slip. Wipeout. The bike ends up on top of you and you're lucky if you can go home with less than 4 broken bones. Not to mention now you're probably gonna finish last."

_OK, that was weird,_ I thought. Not necessarily _what_ she said, but how she said it. Kori was definitely on my list of strange, very freaky people.

"Yeah, that would suck," I said.

"It's like… victory is right there. Hang on for 5 more seconds and you're the very best. One slip, and it's all gone."

"Uh-huh." I opened back up my magazine, but when she continued talking I turned my attention back to her.

"I think that racers – any kind of racer – are the only people who really realize how fast everything can be taken away. Who really, truly _realize_ the reality of the effects of one fire, one theft, one arrest, one car crash…"

"Yeah."

Kori turned to look at me. "You're such an insensitive jerk, Dean."

My eyes widened. "What?" I demanded. "What was that? I didn't ask for that!"

"All you care about are gears and parts! Did you ever stop to think that _maybe_ people-"

"Woah, there. Hold on. Before you start lecturing me, would you like to tell me how you decided that I'm such a jerk?"

"I'm trying to have a deep, meaningful conversation with you and all you can say is "Yeah, uh-huh, that sucks." When all the while I'm trying to make a point on a more…" She paused, looking for the right word. "On a more significant level."

I really didn't want to get into this with her. Especially not right now. I was really sick of fighting with her about this "meaningful, significant" stuff, so I just let it roll.

"Fine, then. I guess I'm a jerk."

"Finally, you're right for once."


	6. Close Encounter

ANDY

Day 2, 10:30 AM

"So this is what Andy Carson looks like when he's not riding a bike."

I didn't recognize the voice behind me. It was a surprisingly deep voice, even for a guy. I turned and saw a huge guy in front of me.

"Um… I don't know you, do I?"

"Yeah, you do," he said. "You probably just don't remember me. But I'll bet you remember the tricks that you beat me with yesterday."

"It was the first round," I said, a little defensively. I was starting to get a little nervous. Was this that guy that cracked McEllen's rib? "The first round doesn't even matter."

"You're wrong, rookie. The way someone gets noticed and famous is by ripping the first round."

"Well, um-"

"You'd better pray you fall today. For your own sake. If you're lucky, maybe you can break a few bones and have my pity." He slammed into my shoulder as he walked past me.

~*~

"Hey, dude," I said to Jay when I walked into the stadium. "Did you catch that one guy's score yesterday? The one that McEllen's freaked out about?"

Jay smiled. "Briggs? I don't know. Why?"

I almost told him about my encounter, but then decided not to. I'd look like I was scared, then. And the last thing I wanted to do was look like a wimp in front of these guys.

"No reason."

"Uh-huh. Really, now."

"Really," I said. "No big deal." I turned my attention to the rider that was up hoping he would do the same, but Jay wouldn't let it drop.

"He said something?" he pressed. I shook my head. "Threatened you, didn't he?" I shook my head again, but stayed silent. "Fine, keep it a secret. But a word of advice, Carson? This guy doesn't play games. He isn't all talk. If he says he'll kill you, he _will_ kill you. Trust me. McEllen got nailed 'cause he didn't give Briggs' threats the attention they shoulda got."

I kept my expression neutral, but I inwardly squirmed. Really? So… I had to fall today if I didn't wanna get into a big fight?

__

Don't let Briggs push you around, I told myself. _If you do good, he'll just have to deal with it._

Then again, if I fell, no one would know I whimped out except for Briggs. Everyone else would think I just made a mistake. Maybe taking a fall would be less humiliating than getting into a serious fight with a guy twice my size.

But then… would it really? Falling from 100 feet up? What if I got some serious damage done? At least facing Briggs I'd be able to fight back, maybe do a little damage myself.

I needed to talk to someone. Quick. I was up in 15 minutes. But who? Andie? Normally she'd be a good bet, but not now. She'd been really moody lately, she was probably still mad at me. Dean? No, I didn't really know him. He was closer to Andie than me. Kori? No, I didn't know her, either. But then… maybe she wasn't such a bad option. I had dirt on her. If she dared tell anyone…

And she was sensitive. She'd listen, and have the right answer. All of those poetry-types gave good advice.

"I'll be back in a sec," I told Jay.

"Where you goin'?"

"Crazy," I replied with a smirk. I walked away fast and went into the seat-area. Where did Kori and Dean sit? I looked around and found them a few rows above me and a lot of seats away. I got there as fast as I could.

"Hey, guys," I said.

"Carson, what are you doing?" Dean asked.

"Um, actually, I have to talk to your cousin. Can I borrow her?"

Dean blinked. "I don't care. Why?"

"I don't have a lot of time. I'll tell you later." Was that a lie? I wasn't sure. It just kind of shot out of my mouth. "Kori?"

She smiled and stood. "I'll be back in a sec," she told Dean. We walked away, out into the empty halls. "What's up?"

"I don't have a lot of time, so I'm just gonna spit this all out. But before you repeat it to anyone, remember that I know your bike's name." She smiled. "OK, here's the deal. There's this freaky guy here that I've been strictly warned various times to stay away from. I beat him the first day and he told me that I'd better fall today if I hoped to survive his wrath. My sources tell me that when this guy makes a threat, he carries it out. What do I do? Fall?"

Kori blinked. "Wow, Andy, I didn't know we were close enough to share life problems with each other from just one night at a coffee house."

"I know, I know. But you were my best bet. None of my friend are here, and Andie's mad at me."

"_You_'re Andy."

"No, I mean Andrea. My sister."

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember. Dean told me-"

"I don't have a lot of time," I cut in. "I hate to sound like a jerk, but cut the crap and tell me what to do."

Kori smiled. "I've never met a guy that told me to tell him what to do."

"That's great. Now talk."

"Personally, I'd fight the guy."

"Yeah, except he's twice as strong as me. He cracked this one guy's rib last year."

Kori stared at me. "Wow. Ooooookay, then. You know what? Don't fall."

"Really?"

"Definitely. Do good, then fly to Canada."

I smiled. "Thanks. If you _dare_ fell anyone, even Dean, I'll-"

"Don't worry. This'll be our first friendship secret. In China that's the final step to being good friends."

"Great. My first _real _X Games friend and she's a girl."

"Hey!" Kori gave my shoulder a playful smack. I pretended that it hurt.

"Ow!" I grabbed my shoulder to exaggerate my pain.

She laughed. "Get out there before I kill you."

"Yes, ma'am."

A/N: everyone say thank you to pinkchick (let's hear it: "Thank you pinkchick.") It's because of her review that I updated so quickly. The first one was short, and I felt a little guilty, so I decided to update again right away.


	7. Crash

KORI

Day 2, 10:59 AM

I walked back to my seat wondering if Andy would have the guts to take my advice. Easier said than done, I knew. I was a little worried that if he _did_ do his best this guy would pound him and I'd have to live with it on my conscience.

"What'd Andy want?" Dean asked as I sat down.

"Nothin'," I said, shrugging.

"C'mon, Kor. He's more my friend than yours."

I remembered Andy mentioning how Andrea was mad at him. "He just wanted my advice. His sister is mad at him and he just wanted a female's point of view. That's all."

"Why is she mad?"

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"Maybe I should-"

"Don't do _anything_," I said firmly. Great. Now Dean was going to tell Andie that her brother told me she was mad and she would be even _more_ angry. "I handled it just fine. Talking to people takes tact, and you desperately need that."

"That's not true."

"You're right," I said sarcastically. "I just love to falsely accuse people who I don't even care about."

"No wonder you don't have a boyfriend," he muttered. "You scare all the guys away."

"I don't need a boyfriend," I said. "Nor do I want one."

"That's part of the reason you're so insane."

"What's the other part?"

"Your inability to-" He stopped. "Carson's up."

My attention was quickly turned to the jumps and who was riding them. I watched Andy carefully as he rode. When he landed for the third time, he let me down. When he landed, the bike was tilted to the right, and the impact forced it to turn and go down. He wiped out, and the bike ended up on top of him.

"Andy!" I cried. Did he do that on purpose? It had looked accidental to me, but that didn't mean he hadn't planned it.

"He'll be OK," Dean said, getting up.

"Where are you going?" I demanded, also standing.

"To see him."

I followed him through the crowd of people downstairs to where the riders were. Andy was limping back towards us, a person on each side of him with his arms slung around them.

"Andrew!" a blond girl said. "Are you OK?"

The people helping him led him to a bench and he sat down. "I think so," he replied, taking off his helmet.

"Anything twisted?" asked someone that I assume was his mother. "Or broken?"

Andy shook his head. "I'll be fine in a minute."

"Andy?" I asked. I don't know if he noticed me before that, and I wanted him to know that Dean and I were there.

"Kori," he said, suddenly amazingly calm and a mixture of seriousness and sadness.

"What was that?" I asked. What I really wanted to ask was "Was that on purpose?" but if I said that, then it would raise too many questions.

He shook his head. "I don't know." With a glance to a couple other people, he said, "You guys don't know each other, do you? Guys, this is Kori, Dean's cousin. Kori, this is my sister Andrea, my brother Jason, and my parents."

"Hi," I said to them.

"It's nice to meet you, Kori," his mom said.

"And you," I replied. I looked to Andrea. "I've heard a lot about you, mostly from Dean. I admire any girl who races moto."

She smiled. "Thanks. Do you ride?"

I nodded. "Dean and I are both competing here."

"Andrew," his mom said. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Andy rolled his eyes. "It's not like I fell from the air, mom. I was already on the ground."

"But your bike crushed you."

"No it didn't. That back there was a 3 ½ foot fall. It's pitiful, really."

"You were doing good," Dean said.

"Thanks, man."

"You still have a chance to win if you don't do that again."

Andy snorted. "Win? No way. Not with Travis Pastrana in this. But maybe I can do well. 5th or something."

"Yesterday's score was pretty good, though."

"It wasn't bad. I just hope this doesn't pull me back too far."

"Well, if we aren't taking Andy to the emergency room, I'm going back out there to watch," Jason said.

"Jason!" his mom exclaimed.

"What?" he asked. "he said he'd be fine in a minute."

"I will," Andy replied. "No one's taking me to the emergency room. Go on."

"Well, if everything's fine, I'm gonna go, too," Andie agreed. Then quickly added, "If Andy's OK."

"Go on," he said. "Mom and dad, too. I'll be fine. Just let me sit here for a little bit."

"Andrew…" his dad said, unsure.

"I've fallen before," Andy insisted. "Really."

His family left.

Andy shook his head. "Typical parents," he muttered. He looked at me and Dean. "You guys don't have to stay here, either, you know."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

Andy nodded. "Yeah, I'm just gonna sit here for a little while and chill out."

"OK," Dean said. "Kori, you comin'?"

"I-" I hesitated. If I stayed, Dean would, too. But I had to talk to Andy alone. I had to find out what was going through his mind when he fell. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be there in a sec."

"OK."

I started away, but once Dean was gone I turned around and went back to Andy.

"Did you do that on purpose?"


	8. Big Mouth

ANDY

Day 2, 11:05 AM

I'd seen the question coming. I knew she was going to ask that, I just didn't know what to say to it. I, myself, didn't even know the answer.

"I'm not sure," I replied.

"Tell me!" Kori ordered.

"I did! I don't know. I think… I don't know."

"What do you mean? Andy, c'mon. If you wimped out, just tell me."

"I think it was kind of a mixture. I mean, I wasn't going to at first, but then a thought of _maybe, possibly_ doing it entered my mind, and before I knew it…" I left it at that. "But I didn't try to, I don't think."

Kori shook her head. She was disappointed in me. I felt ashamed that I'd let her down. "Just… do me a favor, Andy?"

"What?"

"Don't ever do what that creep tells you to again, OK? You're so much better than this."

"OK. I won't."

"You'd better not," she said firmly. "Or I'll deck you. And I think you'd rather face him than a very angry me."

I smiled. "OK, I promise."

~*~

About 45 minutes later, people started leaving the course. Kori and Dean came up to me and asked me how I was, and I told them that I was fine. Because I was. I felt pretty good, as a matter of fact.

I noticed Briggs coming out. I prayed that he'd just walk past me, but I had no such luck. He stopped to see me.

"Aw, Carson," he said mockingly. "That was too bad, back there. You'll probably be out for, what? A week? My sympathy."

I stood to face him. "I'm in it tomorrow."

"Good idea. Then we can see a replay. Maybe after that one you'll wise up and back off."

Kori hit him on the shoulder, but not hard. She was only trying to get his attention, not hurt him. "Hey, what's your problem?"

"Excuse me? Am I talking to you?"

"No, _I'm_ talking to _you_."

Briggs chuckled. "What are you? Some guy's hood ornament?"

"I'm a rider, and I'm 3 times as good as you," she spat.

He smirked. "This is a joke! Too bad I won't have the honor of competing against you, doll face."

"Actually, I'll see you at Step Up." With her head held high, Kori stalked away at that.

Dean tried to control his laughter. Briggs turned to him. "You know that chick?"

"She's my cousin," he replied.

"Well I hope you aren't too attached. Her mouth is gonna get her shot, and sooner than you think." Then he also left.

Dean shook his head. "The guy's right," he said. "Kori's gonna get nailed one of these times."

I began to worry about Kori. Was what Briggs said about her being shot a threat, or did he mean it as Dean took it… a joke?

"Yeah," I said. "Is she as good as she pretends to be?"

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, basically. I think she's gonna get silver this year in racing."

"I didn't know she did Step Up."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "She's really into it. She can easily make 30 feet. She's gotten 34, but I'm not sure if she can do it in two tries. But she was getting really excited at the 2001 games when Pastrana and Clowers were duking it out. I don't even know how to pronounce some of the things she called Pastrana when he lost, though. She was going on and on saying stuff in Chinese."

"She doesn't like him?"

"She did… till he lost. She was actually his biggest fan. But I think Kori could beat him in Step Up at least, and not many girls can say that. I hope she does well."

I shook my head. Wow. Kori had reached 34 feet! That was over what Clowers had won with in 2001, and if she could make it, he had serious competition.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Me, too."

A/N: from now on, I'm gonna update every Saturday just for the simple reason that school is here. On a rare occasion, I MIGHT update during the week, but for the most part it'll be every Saturday. Reviews are appreciated!


	9. Her

A/N: ignore what I said before about updating every Saturday. I just finished writing this fic, so I'm gonna be updating a lot just so that I can get it done. I also started a new one, but I'm not posting that till this one is all up. And don't worry, what's up now is less than half of the story. You have a lot to read yet… MWAHAHA!!!! =)

KORI

Day 2, 10:30 pm

I sat on the couch sipping on coffee while listening to a depressing poem. The author was a great writer, but I hated listening to it just the same. I didn't feel like being depressed or sad. I wanted to be happy.

But I couldn't, because with each word that was said, another vision of _her_ ran through my head.

I don't know how I got into poetry. I don't know why it reminds me of her. And most importantly, I don't know why I'm so into it when it causes me so much pain.

Poetry makes me cry, not because it's sentimental, but because of her.

She didn't like poetry, though. Or, at least, she was neutral to it. So how come each time I write something I see her? Her face… looking at me, smiling.

But not always smiling. No, sometimes I see her panicked face seconds before she hit…

My eyes stung with tears.

I go up and darted for the bathroom. I ran smack into someone.

"I'm sorry!" I said quickly.

"Kori? Are you all right?"

I looked at his face to find, to my horror, Andy.

"I'm fine," I lied, trying to somehow suck in my tears.

"Are you hurt?"

_Typical guy,_ I thought. To them, there's no such think as emotional pain. When you cry, your body is damaged. That was all they knew about pain.

"I told you, I'm fine."

"There's no use in lying," he said. He lifted up his hand and wiped away one of my tears. "I know you're crying."

"I haven't cried in a long time," I answered, in my head searching for each and every excuse I could use. "Sometimes I just… let it all go."

Andy blinked. "So you cry for no reason other than you never cry? That doesn't make any sense. Kori, I thought we were friends. You can tell me."

I was getting frustrated. "Look, you want me to be honest with you?" I asked, my voice raising. "Fine. I have a really rotten past, OK? Not a day goes by when I don't cry for her. But I don't want to talk about it. Maybe someday I'll tell you… maybe someday you'll understand. But not now. Not anytime soon." With that, I walked past him into the bathroom. And cried.

½ an hour later I figured he was gone, so I came back out. I went up to the counter, sat on a stool, and ordered a drink. Then Andy sat down beside me.

"Dean talked to me about Step Up," he said almost cheerfully, in effort to change the mood. I appreciated that, because I liked talking to him, just not about _her._

"What'd he say?" I asked.

He smiled. "That you said a variety of things to Pastrana last year when he lost. In Chinese."

I laughed. "I use Chinese when I'm angry."

"He also said you can get 34 feet. Impressive."

"Thanks. I've gotten 36 _once_, but never again. I'm not counting on that to bring me the gold."

"I didn't know Briggs did Step Up. He's probably not very good at it, though, otherwise he'd be bragging about it."

"It's not him I'm worried about. It's Tommy Clowers."

"Don't worry about him. If you can take home any medal at all, you're really good."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I'm really trying hard to get silver in racing."

"When's Step Up?"

"Tomorrow at noon."

"I'll be rooting for you." He smiled at me, then walked out of the door.


	10. Late Start

DEAN

Day 3, 11:45 am

"Kori! Kori!" I shook her by the shoulders. "Get up!"

She groaned, still half-asleep. "It doesn't start till noon," she mumbled.

"Yeah, and it's quarter to!"

Kori's eyes snapped open. "You serious?" she demanded.

"Yeah," I answered. "Totally. It'll take us 5 minutes to get there, get up!"

She leapt out of bed, then hesitated. "Um, I need to shower, but…"

"Can you do it in 5 minutes?"

She paused, then nodded. "I can try." She ran to her bag and whipped out some clothes. She ran into the bathroom. Through the door she yelled at me sarcastically.

"Oh, and thanks, by the way, for waking me up 10 minutes before we have to leave!" she called.

"You're lucky I woke you up at all!" I shot back. "I just woke up, too, you know!"

"Oh, well, then everything's pink and fluffy, isn't it, Dean?" she said. Then I heard the water start to run.

I sighed. This wasn't my fault, but yelling about it wouldn't help. I had to get ready. I found my toothbrush and paste and brushed my teeth. I realized that I had to do it without running water. Oh, well.

5 minutes later Kori shot out of the bathroom. She grabbed a brush and began brushing her wet hair while I got in the shower. But over the water and through the door, I could still hear her raging loudly.

"Great!" she said. "The first day of Step Up, and I'm gonna hafta forfeit cause my stupid cousin didn't wake me up in time! I've practiced, too! I can get 36 feet, for crying out loud! I could get the gold, but no! I forfeit cause I overslept!" She continued yelling things in Chinese, which I was actually getting strangely used to.

I was out of the shower in 3 minutes. We had 2 left till we'd have to leave.

"You ready?" I asked her.

"Um… I need to put my hair up and do makeup."

"Makeup?" I demanded as I watched her go into the bathroom with her toiletry bag. "You're riding a motorcycle, you don't need makeup!"

"Yes I do! Just a little something for shine… maybe a touch of mascara."

I rolled my eyes. Kori may be a rider, but she's still female. "Kor, we have to go. Now."

"OK, OK. Just let me brush my teeth."

"Why didn't you do that while I was showering?"

"Are you kidding? Gross, Dean! And swallow the toothpaste? Use my spit as water? Really, sometimes you're totally disgusting."

"At least I'm ready!"

"URGH!" she yelled. Then she quickly brushed her teeth, put her hair in a low ponytail, and we were out the door.


	11. Faceoff

A/N: remember, Kori named her bike Miya. And she's kinda strange, so she refers to her bike as almost an actual person, and she says things like "we" instead of "I," talking about both her _and_ Miya. If you don't remember that, this chapter will confuse you. Oh, and I apologize to all Tommy Clowers fans simply because in this fic in general I make him seem like the bad guy. It's only because Kori really wants to beat him, nothing against him. I, personally, happen to be a Tom Cat fan.

KORI

Day 3, 12:30 pm

Briggs' voice was still taunting me. I was getting so sick of it that I just wanted to deck him. Hard.

"Why don't you go back to Japan where you came from?"

I smirked. "Because I came from China."

"Don't give me that, sweetheart. I have your best interests at heart. I just don't wanna see you get hurt."

I glared at him. Dean once told me that if I glared at someone long enough I could kill them from fear. I was hoping he'd drop dead.

"It's too bad that little foreign girls have to come all the way to your pathetic country just to teach bratty boys a lesson," I countered. (A/N: I love America, don't get me wrong. Kori's just really mad right now and is looking for any and every way to offend Briggs, including his nationality.)

"Really? I got the impression you were doing something _else_ with that rookie, Carson."

The comment put my fist on automatic. I didn't even think before I realized my fist was in his gut.

He grunted, maybe in surprise, but my punch didn't do much else. We were right in the middle of the Step Up competition, so he was wearing padding and such.

"You _don't_ wanna play rough with me, baby," he said in a deep, threatening voice. For some reason he enjoyed giving me pet names.

"Don't tell me what I wanna do," I replied forcefully, trying to match his tone. Then I slit my helmet on, started up Miya, and rode to the jump.

29 feet. Normally we'd be able to make it, but right now I was nervous and upset, and I knew that they would affect us negatively.

With a glance to Tommy Clowers, my nervousness turned into determination. I was no longer upset, but aggressive. We _would_ make the jump and we _would_ show these Americans what real Step Up was all about.

I warmed up Miya by revving the engine and took off down the jump, then up into the air…

I realized in a panic that Miya's back wheel was going to hit the bar. I turned so that Miya and I were nearly 100% horizontal, running parallel with the bar, and saw it pass below my face. With a sigh of relief, I turned us back to normal and landed a no-hander, my arms in the air to display our victory.

I wheeled her back to where the Step Up competitors were hanging out. I flashed a smile to Briggs after my helmet was off.

"Be careful, darling," I mocked, using his own fashion of pet names. "That's a long way up, and even longer coming down. Especially when you're falling."

"You'd know a lot about falling," he countered.

"Of course," I replied calmly. "What's perfection without experience?"

He smirked. "Y'know, we could go at it all day if no one stopped us, but eventually one of us has to back off. And girlie, it ain't gonna be me." He nodded to the crowd. "See them? You should be thankful for each of them. They're your saviors." Then he added in an eerie whisper, "Without all these witnesses, you'd be dead by now. Or worse."

I forced myself to smile back, even though the hard note in his voice made me uneasy. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"A small baby girl who's a long way from home."

"Not nearly. Kori Talon."

"Talon? What happened to Natorei? Oh, that's right… I forgot. Your mom's _dead_ and you relied on another nation's pity."

That was it. He was tearing at my last nerve, now. My mother was such a painful subject, I could barely stand to hear little kids shout "Mommy!" in the mall. And now here he was… telling me about how she was dead.

My mother. Motocross champion.

Great friend.

Murdered.

Not technically "murdered," but that's how I thought of it. Someone had intentionally killed her, bike or no bike.

My fist flew at his face, but he dodged it. In a flash, Nick Jayland and Tommy Clowers (both of which had been standing next to me) were holding me back from landing a _real_ punch, and Michael Reed and Travis Pastrana were keeping Briggs from retaliating.

"Don't talk about my mother!" I yelled, struggling against the 2 guys' holds on me. "And I don't take pity!"

"You wanna start something, China girl?!" he roared back. "Do you really wanna mess with me?!"

"Bring it on!" I screamed, infuriated. I yelled so loudly that my throat scratched itself and was suddenly deathly sore. (A/N: I've done that. It hurts like the Dickens.)

"Chill! Chill!" Clowers' voice was paid no attention, by either me or Briggs.

"I'll kill you 10 times before you hit the ground!"

"Try it!"

"Don't be so eager, doll face!"

"Man!" Travis said. "Chill out!"

"Get off me, pretty boy!" Briggs answered.

That was the last clear sentence I heard. All of the Step Up competitors were gathered around now, yelling. Some cheering for either me or Briggs, some telling us to calm down, some telling each other to shut up. Before I knew it, a few men in uniforms – security guards – were standing in between Briggs and I and the guys holding us let go.

"What happened?" one demanded.

"Talon threw the first punch!" came a call.

"It's true! I saw it!"

"Briggs was giving her crap!"

"Shut up! I'll show you crap!"

More yelling, more chaos. Finally, the security guards regained control. One turned to me, the other to Briggs.

"You may be suspended from X Games for causing a fight," he told me. "Go back to your hotel room and wait for someone to contact you. We'll ask questions around here to find out what happened."

"I'll tell you what happened," I said, still mad. "He-"

"Thank you, you can go."

I wanted to punch that guy so hard that his head flew right off his shoulders, but I knew that wouldn't help my case. I bottled up my anger until I was outside, then I punched the wall until my hands were drenched in blood.

Anger, frustration, madness, hatred, and maybe even a hint of fear were exploding out of my body in the form of violence, and I hated that even more. I gave the brick wall a final punch that hurt the most. The rest had hurt, certainly, but this one was so much harder that I thought my knuckles would break. The already open wounds that were covered in blood stung more than anything I'd ever felt. Physically _or_ mentally.

"Kori."

Dean was there, I knew it. It was his voice, his tired tone.

I didn't have to turn to see who it was. I glared at the wall only a foot from my face.

"What?" I grouched.

"What was that? You started quite a fight."

Tears started to come to me just thinking about what Briggs had said.

"We were just talking," I answered, slightly horrified at my tone. It was sad, like someone on the brink of crying. But I didn't want to cry here. I only cried in bathrooms and places where no one was watching. But now I started telling him, so I had to finish.

"Talking trash to each other, but nothing more. Before I knew it, Clowers and Jayland were holding me back. But I wanted so bad to nail him. Really pound him into the ground, y'know?" I turned and looked at Dean. He nodded.

"I know." Then he looked at my hands. He picked one up closer to his face and some of my blood tricked onto his hand. He said a word I shouldn't repeat.

"It's not bad," I said quietly.

"Kor, you've scared me before with your gothic stuff, but punching a brick wall is just insane."

I pulled my hand back. "I'm not gothic," I said.

"Well, not exactly, but your attitude-"

I knew what was coming next. His lecture about how I'm a freak. I didn't want to hear it.

"There are guys out there with attitudes 20 times worse than mine. Go bug them."

He smiled. "Geez, Kor, you really are one of a kind."

"Yeah? Well I like it that way."

"I understand he said something about your mother?"

All happiness I'd been feeling vanished in an instant.

"Yeah – something," I mumbled.

"I'll respect your privacy, cause I know that you have some kind of deep thing with er death, but you have to tell someone sometime."

I held back tears. "I don't," I replied.

"That's why you left China. Cause no one here knows anything about it. Right?"

"Something like that," I said quietly.

"How did she die?"

I bit my lip. There was nothing I hated more than crying, and I desperately didn't want to do that in front of Dean, anyway. I'd already come dangerously close to it.

"It was a motorcycle accident," I admitted, my voice betraying me. "She hit a barbed wire fence and lost too much blood. Everyone said I was crazy, but I just _knew_ he cheated. I still do."

"Backup. You _mom_ did moto?"

I nodded. "She was all for the "women can do anything men can" thing, and she wanted to prove it by doing something girls didn't do. And… that guy she was racing, he rigged her bike. I know he did. I don't know exactly how, but it was enough to ram her into barbed wire." Then the tears fell. "I could never prove it," I sobbed. Dean wrapped me in a hug.

"So you were close," he stated.

"Are you kidding? We did everything together. She was the coolest."

"I'm sorry, Kori."

"Don't be sorry. Be here."


	12. I'm in

A/N: I should have clarified this before, and I'm sorry I didn't. In my story, moto has 4 categories: Step Up, Downhill, Freestyle, and Big Air. In real life they don't have Downhill, but it was the only way I could stick Dean in here and connect him to Kori. And without Dean and Kori, I have no plot! If it really bugs you that I totally butchered that, tell me and maybe I'll change it if I have enough time and if I get enough complaints.

DEAN

Day 4, 8:48 am

The phone in the room rang.

"Kori!" I called into the bathroom. "Get that!" I was a lot closer to the phone, but I was pretty sure it was the X Games people calling to tell her if she was in or not.

She rushed out of the bathroom and dove for the phone. "Yeah?" she asked into the receiver.

They said something I couldn't hear.

"This is," Kori replied. Pause. "Uh-huh." Pause. "Well, not exactly. I-" Pause. "Yeah." Pause. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!" Pause. "Yeah. I understand." Pause. "OK – thanks. Bye." She hung up and threw her arms around me.

"I'm in! I can compete!"

I smiled. Kori – being Kori – doesn't hug much. I knew this meant a lot to her.

"So… now you just have to beat Clowers and get 1st in downhill. Then everything's cool."

"I'm saving 1st for my favorite cousin," she replied. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Man, Dean, I'm so happy!"

I gave her a weird look. "I know, cause that's the first time you've kissed me."

"Just your luck, huh? Your first kiss and it's from your _cousin._"

"Hey!" I laughed. "Girls have kissed me before!"

"I know, but I wasn't counting your mom."

"Aw, get ready for Step Up, you fruit."

"I love you, Dean."

"I know. Now hurry up, or I'll leave without you."


	13. Newest X Games Legend

KORI

Day 4, 9:00 am

"I didn't know if you were gonna make it today," Clowers said to me during the competition.

"Wouldn't miss this for the world," I replied. "What… you think I'd let them give my medal away to someone else?"

He smirked. "It's debatable which medal is yours."

"Was that a challenge?" I returned. "Like, do you think you can actually beat me?"

"We'll see."

I looked over and watched Mike Metzger. He revved up the engine and shot up, up, and barely over the bar.

I put on my helmet. "Showtime."

Miya brought me to a point, then I stopped her. Quickly, silently, I begged God to let me make it. To untie the knots in my stomach, help me block out the crowd, and soar over the bar.

I'd made 31 before. Not on TV, though.

I whispered to Miya in Chinese, "Let's do this," and we shot forward. Then up the steep slope, and…

And back down to the ground.

Had we made it?

I looked behind me and saw the bar. Lying on the ground.

No!

"Oh!" I heard the announcer say. "Kori Talon knicked the bar! An inch higher and she would've had it."

I brought Miya back in front of the bar, grateful that I got two tries. But if I messed this one up, I'd have to forget about beating Clowers. At least until next year, anyway.

I zipped forward and up the slope, and clear over the bar!

"That was a good foot and a half!"

I landed and rode back to Metzger. Clowers was already preparing himself for his own jump.

Metzger mumbled something that I didn't quite catch, but it sounded like "You really think you can compete?"

"What?" I demanded, my tone showing my instant anger.

"Nothin'."

"You got something to say? Say it to my face, Mulisha boy."

Metzger put on the classic you-don't-wanna-start-anything-with-me-because-I'm-one-bad-boy face that I'd seen a million times. (A/N: that face can make just about any guy look hot!) Then he glanced over my shoulder, at Clowers who was riding back to us. So instead of throwing something else at me, he smirked at me as he put his helmet on. In a snitty tone, he said "May the best _man_ win."

I glared at him as he rode off.

"You're really on a roll, aren't you?" Clowers asked me.

I blinked. "What?"

"You're good at making enemies. Ever try and make a few friends?"

I didn't know exactly what to say to that. "Sorry, dad," I decided.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're hostile to me, Metzger sure hates you, don't even get me started on Briggs. How many friends have you made here?"

Did Andy count? "Um… 1."

"I hate to say this, Talon, but every guy here except for that one hate you. We even have bumper stickers and everything. A friendly tip: shut up and smile. That makes you nice _and_ takes care of your way with words."

I hated to admit it, but he was right. "And you're telling me this why?"

"Cause there's gotta be _someone_ in this world that likes you, and they're gonna be ticked when someone else kills you."

Dean was the only person who'd ever warned me about my general attitude. I never paid his talks any attention, but hearing it from someone else made it more… meaningful. I treated Dean like a brother, so of course I tuned out his talks. But Clowers was a genuine public opinion.

"Um, thanks," I said. "I mean, for being honest. I'll keep what you said in mind."

"Here's another bit of advice," he said. "Get out there. Everyone's waiting for you."

I suddenly felt embarrassed. How long had everyone been waiting? A few seconds, or a few minutes? I gave Clowers a sheepish smile, put on my helmet, and took off.

This was it… 32.

3 minutes later it was at 35. Metzger dropped out at 34, so now it was me and the Tom Cat.

A minute after that, he tanked his 2nd attempt and it was up to me.

If I made it, I'd get gold. If I failed 2ce, then we'd go back to 34 an Metzger would also have a chance to redeem himself.

I missed my first attempt, but then my moment of glory came. I defeated Tommy Clowers.

"There it is! Kori Talon over the bar, to take her first X Games medal!"

I, a woman, came out on top in a man's sport. I was stoked.

I was grinning like an idiot when Clowers came up to me. "Keep smiling," he instructed. "It's good practice."

"You did your job, now leave me alone," I replied, still smiling.

"Talon, you're the newest X Games legend."

"No I'm not. I'm a girl with a dream."

"Woah, that was good. Say something like that to the camera."

Just then one of the commentators came up to me. "Kori," she said. "How does it feel to win the gold?"

"I'm so stoked," I answered. "Step Up is the greatest."

"Do you think you'll be able to do this well in racing?"

"I don't think I'll get gold unless tomorrow's a good day for me. But Dean Talon is gonna get a medal, mark my words."

She smiled. "Great job, that was amazing."

"Thanks."


	14. A Little Fruity

A/N: sorry that it took so long to update, but I lost my notebook for those of you who didn't read that much on my bio. So sorry. But I have it now, and I doubt that'll happen again, so the rest of the story should be up soon. Sorry again!

DEAN

Day 4, 4:45 pm

"But Dean Talon is gonna get a medal, mark my words."

I smiled. I was back in the hotel room with Kori watching a replay of her performance.

"You didn't have to say that," I told her. "I'll be lucky if I finish 8th."

"That's OK," she replied, cheerfulness in her voice. "It's optimism."

Since she won, I'd never yet seen her frown. She changed a lot in that instant, I think. In that golden moment that she soared over the bar, she changed for the better.

"Do you wanna go out with me and Andy tonight?" she asked, going into the bathroom to put on some makeup.

"What's tonight?" I asked.

"Nothing special. Just a date."

"And you want _me_ there?"

"No, but Andie does."

"Andy? Why the heck would he-"

"No, no. Andrea."

"She's going, too?"

Kori walked back out to the main room where I was. "No, but you could ask her."

"She wants me to?"

"Quit playing dumb, Dean!" She laughed. I expected her to hit me, but she didn't. Why was she laughing? I'd never seen her laugh before. "Of course she does. She's a girl. Any girl would wanna go out with you."

I'm pretty sure that's the first time she's ever given me a compliment.

"Excuse me?" I demanded. "Are you OK?"

She shrugged. "Sure I'm OK. Now get up and ask her out. We can double."

"Why are you acting so fruity?"

"Oh, it's just something Clowers told me. He said that all the guys here hate me because I'm such a witch. He told me to shut up and smile."

"I've told you that a million times."

"Yeah, but I don't listen to you." She laughed again. "Now get up, c'mon."

I sighed and stood. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Change, then come with me to their hotel."

"Fine."

~*~

I knocked on the Carson's hotel room door and Jason opened it.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"We're here for your brother and sister," I replied. "They here?"

"Andrew is, Andrea's not."

"Where is she?"

"Down by the pool. I'll get Andy."

Jason turned and walked over to get Andy, where his big brother ruffled his hair and gently pushed him away, then came up to Kori and me.

"Hey, guys," he said.

"Dean's coming with Andie," Kori informed him. "Once he asks her."

Andy smiled and left the room, shutting the door behind him. "That's cool," he said as we started walking towards the elevators. "I think she'd like that."

"Of course she would," Kori agreed. I shot her a look that said "Give it a rest" and she smiled smugly at me.

Andy looked at us for a minute while the elevator doors closed, then said, "OK… what's going on?"

"Dean doesn't think Andie wants to go out with him," Kori answered.

"I never said that. I just want you to quit smiling is all. Andy, I hope you realize that you're going out with oddest cookie in the jar."

Andy laughed. "She's just intimidating."

"Not anymore, she ain't. Ever since Clowers talked to her she's been having this superblond valley-girl thing going."

"Clowers? What'd he say?"

Kori shrugged as she stepped out of the elevator. "Told me to shut up."

Andy laughed. "I have a hard time believing that's the first time someone told you that."

"Hey! Bring it on!"

He laughed again as we entered the pool area. I saw Andrea sitting in the spa, her head tipped back facing the ceiling but her eyes closed, relaxed. I found myself surprised at her hair once again. Maybe I'd never get used to her having it shoulder-length after all that time of it being so short.

"Hey, Andrea," I said. Her eyes opened and her head lifted.

"Oh- hi, Dean. What are you guys doing here?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to a movie or something."

"A movie?" she asked. "With my brother and your cousin?"

I glanced at them. I didn't know what they had planned.

"We're going to a coffee house," Kori said. "You guys could go see a movie or whatever alone."

I looked to Andie. "Or we could go out to eat."

She looked thoughtful as she got out and grabbed a towel. "OK… sure."

"Cool."


	15. Date

ANDIE

Day 4, 5:05 pm

Dean and I were walking on the sidewalk by a street to nowhere in particular. I found myself wondering what the point was in going out on this date anyway. After this, I'd probably never see him again, so why bother dating during the 1 more day we'd be here? Finally, I voiced my thoughts to fill the silence.

"What are you doing, Dean?"

He looked at me. "What?"

"Are you just messing with my head, or what? What did you hope to accomplish here?"

He paused. "I… I'm not sure I follow you."

"Get real. We both know that once we leave Philly we'll never meet again."

"I like being with you. Do I need more of a reason than that? Why not hang out while we can? We never got much chance back when I was riding for you guys, if you can call it riding."

"If you like being with me, then why do you hang out with my brother instead?" The words shot out of my mouth before I had time to think. Once they came out, I regretted them.

"You think I prefer him over you? Is that it?"

"No," I said quickly. "I just meant that _our_ relationship-"

"This has nothing to do with _us_," he replied. "This is about you and Andy."

I hung my head. I didn't like how this conversation was steering. "Can we just forget it?"

"No, because then it'll still be there."

"I'll settle things with Andy, I promise."

"Are you jealous of him, or overprotective of me? That's what I wanna know. Is this just another excuse to hate him?"

I continued my steady stare downwards. I didn't like talking to Dean like this. "Jealous, I guess. I mean, he got to the X Games and I didn't. Do you know how hard that was on me? Maybe he'll always be better, though. Maybe girls weren't meant to be better than guys. I just beat the crappy ones."

"Hey, hey. Hold up. Who are you and what did you do with Andrea Carson? _My_ Andrea Carson. The one that got 1st last year racing with the pros. Let me tell you something, they weren't the "crappy ones." Those were real pros that you kicked butt."

"You don't understand. Maybe I'll be able to beat _some_ guys, but when push comes to shove, the guys will always win, eventually."

"What about Kori? She got gold today. She beat Clowers. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"That doesn't count for anything in _my_ life," I replied bitterly.

"You know what? It does. She proved that girls can beat guys. If my cousin can beat a legend, you, Andrea Carson, can beat your twin brother. Besides… you have to keep in mind that he does freestyle and you do downhill. Maybe more people tried out for downhill. Maybe all the freeriders suck."

I gave him a faint smile. It was a cute attempt at an excuse. "Maybe. Thanks."

"Anytime. So… maybe when I go back to Massachusetts, we can still be friends? E-mail and stuff?"

"I'd like that."


	16. Rage and Hatred

A/N: WARNING: This is a fairly violent and very emotional chapter. There is no swearing or anything, but it has a lot of hate and blood in it.

KORI

Day 4, 11:06 pm

Andy and I were just walking out of the coffee house when I spotted Briggs walking on the sidewalk. I grabbed Andy's arm and started walking faster.

"What?" he asked. "Did I miss something?"

"It's Briggs," I told him.

"You're not afraid of him."

"No, but the X Games officials are only letting me compete if I quit fighting, and no one can trigger my temper like he can. We're best off avoiding him."

"Talon!" Briggs called.

"Crap," I muttered. Maybe someone with more sense would have run away at that point, but I'm not like that. I couldn't run. Some sort of sick egotistic policy of mine wouldn't let me.

"I have a bone to pick with you," he said. Suddenly, without warning, his fist swung and hit my forehead. It hit and I stumbled back. My head pounded.

"Hey!" Andy snapped. "Watch it!"

"You watch it, rookie," Briggs responded. "You're on my list, too."

"Kori, you OK?" Andy asked me, his voice significantly softer.

"I'm good," I replied, sucking in he pain from my throbbing head. Then I looked to Briggs. "You aren't much of a people person, are you?"

He smirked. "Look at yourself, honey. It's no secret that you need to go back to your therapist. Take your boyfriend with you." I smelled beer on his breath.

I gave out a yell as I charged and tackled him to the ground. Then, suddenly, I was thrown into a punching, kicking rage. And I was horrified when I looked at his face, dimly lit by the lightposts, to see my mother's killer.

Seeing the transformation, I yelled again and punched harder. My knee came up and went back down right in between his legs so hard that my knee then hurt from hitting the sidewalk underneath what I'd originally connected with. But I didn't stop there. I did every single kind of damage I could, punching, scratching, and thrashing wishing I had something to stab him with again and again, over and over. I hated him. I hated him. I hated him! _Die,_ I silently willed. _Die, die, DIE!_

"Die!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I'll kill you, I will! Die!" I then yelled similar things in Chinese until my throat burned from screaming so much, but that didn't stop my hands from hitting his face.

I felt a hand on each of my shoulders, trying to pull me off. I shrugged them off, but they persisted. They grabbed me hard and jerked me up, and I threw a fist at the head attached to them.

I was horrified when Andy clutched his nose.

"Aah!"

"Andy!" I shrieked. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Tears began to fill my eyes. I looked to my mother's killer, but he wasn't there anymore. In his place laid Briggs, so bloody I barely recognized him.

"What have I done?" I whispered, petrified by the terrifying sight of his face.

"Get an ambulance," Andy said. "He's loosing blood fast."

"Did I kill him?" I asked with a quivering lip.

"Get an ambulance!" he shouted. Someone nearby rushed to a payphone and dialed 911.

"Briggs?" I asked. "I'm sorry."

His eyes opened, but the pupils were covered blood-red. It bit my lip to keep from screaming.

His next 4 words were forced, and obviously took tremendous effort. He said them slowly, painfully, yet triumphantly.

"See you next year."

I turned away. I couldn't stand to look at his bloody, mutated face. "I did that," I sobbed into Andy's shoulder as he hugged me.

"It's OK," he assured me. "It's OK."

"What have I done?" I repeated.

"He'll be OK. It's OK."

I looked back to Briggs, wondering how much damage I had caused him. I'd never done anything like this before. Never lost control of myself like this.

I wondered what had driven me this far, then I knew.

"Rage is addictive, you know. I guess it's sorta like a drug. Anger and hatred get you high. They get you high and like any other addiction they hollow you out and tear you down and eat you alive." -K. A. Applegate

I'd been living for so long with rage and hate, and at that moment they exploded out of me. And if I could ever hope to prevent this from happening again, I'd need to leave them behind.

I was willing to.


	17. Good Enough

DEAN

Day 5, 12:10 pm

Kori sighed and hung up the phone in our hotel room. "I'm out," she said. "of the X Games."

Andy and Andrea were in our room with us. The four of us were eating pizza when the phone had rang minutes before.

"Now what?" I asked. "Today's the 250 competition. You could get gold."

Kori shook her head. "Not anymore. I guess I forfeit."

Andy stood. "Let me race," he requested. "I can do it, I promise. I raced before I got into freestyle and I wasn't half-bad. I won't let you down."

Kori shook her head. "No, Andy."

"But I can do it!"

"No!" Kori said sharply. I was a little surprised that she spoke to him in that tone. "No," she said more quietly. "I want a girl on the bike."

"A girl? But where are you going to find a girl that races in 15 minutes? And-" Andy stopped and looked to where Kori was. I turned my gaze there, too, and saw Andie smiling.

"Me?" she asked.

Kori nodded. "Yeah, girl. You."

Andie laughed and got up to hug Kori. "Thank you so much," she said. "This is all I've ever wanted."

"Just don't disappoint me, OK?"

"OK."

~*~

"Andrea Carson is on bike 47 taking Kori Talon's place," the commentator said. "We're not sure what to expect from her since she doesn't have much of a record, but her brother Andy is here doing freestyle and impressing a few of us."

I looked over to Andie and gave her a wink. We were both getting set up at the starting line. We had less than one minute.

I hopped on my bike and started it up. I looked down the line at all the guys I could see. Some I recognized from the past few days' competitions, others were new faces. But I didn't have much time to look. Before I knew it, we were off.

Almost immediately we were separated into a front and back section. Andie and I were both in back. Once the race progressed a little more, I started passing a few people. I'd lost sight of Andie, but I was pretty sure she was behind me somewhere.

The race seemed so short. It ended in what seemed like seconds later. Before I knew it, the places were being announced.

"Out of 10 racers," the announcer began. "Andrea Carson – 10th, Andrew Prince- 9th, Paul Jordan – 8th, Joe Craft – 7th, Dean Talon – 6th, Drew McEllen – 5th, Matt Anderson – 4th, Guy Bentley – 3rd, Kyle Davis – 2nd, and Michael Reed got 1st."

I looked around, searching for Andie. I found her and Kori talking to a guy from ESPN. I realized that it was being broadcasted live on a large TV screen like what they have at most sports games. I turned my attention to that, since it was easiest to see.

"So, Kori, you had your chance at a second gold medal, and you ended up with a final standing at 6th. How does that feel… are you disappointed? A lot of money was on you to win."

"I'm not disappointed at all," she replied. "I accomplished what I wanted to. I began with a girl on the bike and that's how I finished. I couldn't ask for more… except maybe a Step Up gold medal."

"Well, congratulations on that."

Then it switched to another person talking to Michael Reed, the gold medallist. I got off my bike and went to find Kori to tell her how proud I was of her to take the loss so well.

"Words of a champion, from X Games rookie Kori Talon."

Maybe if this were a movie Andie and I would date again, Andy and Kori would date, and us 2 couples would marry, have children, and live happily ever after. Then we'd find Kori's mother's killer and put him behind bars and everything would be pink and fluffy. But that didn't happen, and until it does… well, this was certainly enough for me.

THE END!!!!

A/N: please check out my other Motocrossed fanfic that isn't up yet but will be in maybe a week or so. It takes place right after the movie (btw, it has nothing to do with this fic) and the Carsons get a DIFFERENT 250 rider other than Dean (yeah, imagine how mad Andie gets about that!) and Andy has a suspicion that she wants to commit suicide. Things get bad, sparks will fly… trust me… =)


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